Abstract
Powder to Printhead Spacing (commonly known as PPS) is a key parameter in all 3D Printers based in Jet
Fusion technology, like the Plastics and Metals ones produced by HP. PPS is the distance between the top
surface of the powder in the print bed of the Build Unit and the Printheads that spit the agents to fuse or
agglomerate this powder into printed parts.
This disclosure describes a system to measure PPS without using powder in a fast and reliable way,
requiring just two tools:
A special Printhead with a laser distance measuring system in the place of the dies.
A plate of soft material but with special properties to keep a specific shape during an extended
amount of time, like Memory Foam or “plasteline”, to simulate the powder bed.
The proposed method is simpler, faster and leads to more detailed results than the ones currently used
to measure PPS. The tools needed are portable to wherever a printer is installed and don’t require an
expert operator to perform the measurements. Finally, it can be used in any 3D Printing system that uses
a powder bed and printheads or laser drawing on top of it, regardless of the kind of material being printed
(plastics, metals, etc.).
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
INC, HP, "MEMORY FOAM TOOL TO MEASURE POWDER TO PRINTHEAD SPACING (PPS) WITHOUT POWDER", Technical Disclosure Commons, (February 11, 2022)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/4894